4-22-13 wolf roaming city - Anchorage, Alaska, USA
Observation: A large canid suspected by residents of being a wolf was roaming an Anchorage Hillside neighborhood yesterday morning. It had an encounter with a large Labrador and ended up on a family's patio eyeing another small Labrador. "It was significantly larger than our big Lab. The lab immediately went into a submissive position and was subsequently sniffed by the wolf. It seemed more interested in our small Lab who was panicked on the deck. The wolf was intently tracking her movements." The family alerted neighbors via phone and e-mail of the encounter, as is typically done when there are bear sightings. If a wolf, this would be the first time in memory that one has been sighted in the neighborhood. Parents walked or drove their children to and from school, and residents took special precautions with their dogs and other pets. The animal is thought to have also visited Sunday evening based on the families dogs' behavior. Mike Brubaker
Consult: This observation was forwarded to the Area Wildlife Biologist Jessica Coltrane at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Fish and Game have stated that wolves can be found on the Hillside, especially in winter. A hybrid wolf -dog is another possibility.
